Public touch screens are becoming more and more ubiquitous. With the amount of daily use, you can’t help but wonder what germs we could be touching, spreading, and encountering every day. CBS News in Philadelphia set out to collect hard data. CBS3 collected data by swabbing touch screen menus inside three different popular chain stores in their area. The samples were sealed as instructed and sent to a lab in South Jersey. Here are the results:
Only one of the three screens came back clean.
The second touch screen menu turned up with fungus, both penicillium and yeast species, which can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
The third test came back with a large population of pantoea agglomerans, a bacteria that’s common to plants and feces. That third kiosk also contained an extremely large amount of acinetobacter species, a bacteria that can prove dangerous to hospitalized patients.
While this may seem shocking, it is only one example of the dangerous bacteria found on touch screens. However, don’t let this deter you; good hygiene is important and your best defense. Let this be a reminder to always practice good daily hygiene by washing your hands or at the very least sanitizing them, especially when handling food after using a touch screen. We can’t avoid touch screens but we can protect ourselves with good practices and measures.
Source: https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/01/05/touchscreens-bacteria/